032-003 MACHINE GUNS OF THE FIRST WORLD WAR

Lewis Gun (another designation: Lewis machine Gun) is a British-American 7.7mm light machine gun from the First World War and the interwar period. The first prototypes of this weapon were made in 1911, and serial production continued in 1912-1925. The length of the weapon was 128 cm, and the weight of the rifle did not exceed 12.5 kilograms. The theoretical rate of fire was 550 rds / min. The Lewis Gun was developed by US Army Colonel Issac Lewis, but the weapon did not attract much attention in the US. Then the weapon designer moved to Belgium, where the rifle entered production and equipment for the Belgian army. It confirmed its considerable combat value during the first months of the Great War. The new weapon quickly caught the attention of the British Army, which adopted it in 1915, and its licensed production was undertaken in BSA plants. The rifle quickly became the primary light machine gun of the British infantry, and was also mounted on airplanes and the first British tanks. Lewis Gun remained in British service until the outbreak of World War II, and it was officially withdrawn from service only after 1945.